Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.
ECUMENICAL PRE-10TH CENTURY BC
The Prayer of Jabez
Also known as Jabez's Prayer
About this prayer
The Prayer of Jabez is a brief petition recorded in 1 Chronicles 4:10, embedded in the genealogical lists of the early chapters of Chronicles. Jabez appears without introduction or narrative context; his name is explained as meaning "pain" or "sorrow" because his mother bore him in pain. He calls on the God of Israel with four requests: that God would bless him, enlarge his territory, let God's hand be with him, and keep him from harm so that he would be free from pain. The text records simply that God granted his request. The prayer's brevity and its unexpected placement in a genealogy have made it an object of theological interest across centuries. It gained wide attention in the early 21st century following a popular devotional book, but the prayer itself is an ancient biblical text with a long history in Jewish and Christian scripture reading.
When it's said
The Prayer of Jabez has no fixed liturgical role. It is used in private devotion, particularly in Protestant evangelical contexts, as a model of direct petition to God. It is also used in Bible study settings as a subject of reflection on the nature of petition in scripture. It does not appear in any standard denominational liturgy.
Notes on the text
The prayer appears in 1 Chronicles 4:10 and consists of a single verse. The name Jabez (Hebrew: Yabets) is associated in the text with the word for pain (Hebrew: etsev), a form of wordplay common in Hebrew narrative. The prayer is presented in Chronicles without interpretation; the text records only that God granted the request.
Common questions
Where is the Prayer of Jabez found in the Bible?
The Prayer of Jabez is found in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10, embedded in a long genealogical list of the descendants of Judah. The two verses describe a man named Jabez (whose name in Hebrew suggests sorrow) who 'called on the God of Israel' and asked God to bless him, enlarge his territory, keep his hand with him, and keep him from harm. The text concludes simply: 'And God granted him that which he requested.'
Why did the Prayer of Jabez become popular in the 2000s?
An American Protestant author named Bruce Wilkinson published a short book about the prayer in 2000 titled 'The Prayer of Jabez,' which became one of the best-selling Christian books of the early 21st century. Wilkinson presented the prayer as a model for daily petition. The popularity of the book brought the prayer, previously an obscure text in 1 Chronicles, to widespread Protestant attention. Wilkinson's book is under copyright; the biblical text itself is in the public domain.
Is the Prayer of Jabez used in liturgical traditions?
No, not historically. The Prayer of Jabez is not part of the traditional liturgical or devotional canon in Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, or older Protestant churches. Its current use is concentrated in evangelical and Pentecostal traditions, particularly in the wake of Wilkinson's 2000 book. The text is in the public domain as part of scripture, but the prayer's contemporary devotional use is recent.
Source
1 Chronicles 4:10 (Old Testament). Public domain.
Last reviewed: May 2026 against primary source.